Chapter 35
Chapter
Lennon
The next morning we arrived five minutes early to the showing, but the real estate agent Cormac had suggested was already there, bustling through, turning on lights.
“Ah! Mr. Cruz, Ms. Lee. Come in, come in,” Sherri smiled, her highlighted hair never moving as she shook our hands and led us through what she called a grand room and into the kitchen. Vivi’s hand quivered in mine as we took in the high-end range and built-in refrigerator. The place had enough granite countertops for tamale assembly, something my mother and sisters would like. There were double ovens and a built-in pantry in addition to a large eat-in nook and a good-sized formal dining room we could use to host family dinners or the guys and their wives.
Overall, the house was a bit smaller than some of the other ones in the neighborhood with only three large, airy bedrooms—but the primary was upstairs with distressed hardwoods, a large walk-in closet, and a fireplace Vivi cooed over. As I’d been told, there was a large pool with a quaint pool house in the acre-plus backyard.
The house was perfect for Vivi and me and even for the couple of kids I might already be fantasizing about having in the future.
“You think Mom will like that?” I asked.
“I do. I could live there,” Vivian answered.
“Nope. You’re inside, in the great big bed we’re going to share.”
Sherri smiled indulgently. “If you’re interested, Mr. Cruz, I suggest we put in an offer today, before the house officially goes on the market.”
I looked at Vivi, and she gulped.
“Let’s do it,” I told her. I’ll pay the asking price in cash.”
Sherri nodded, her hair still locked in place, as she strode off to make the call.
Vivi’s eyes widened even more. “I forget you’re rich.”
“Not as rich as some of the guys, but I’ve led a simpler life, and I have my condo, which has appreciated well. We’ll sell it when and if we want the cash on hand.”
Vivi shook her head. “Most people have to do a contingency contract and make sure their existing place sells before they can afford to buy a new one.”
I scooted closer, grasping Vivi’s hips and bringing them flush against mine. “I’m not the average man.”
She shimmied against me. “I know.”
Sherri strode back in, a wide smile on her face. “Congratulations. You’re about to be homeowners.”
I looked at Vivian who beamed back at me. Sherri slipped quietly back out the door. We needed to sign documents, and I had a huge sum to transfer, but all that could wait a couple of minutes. This was about Vivi and me. About us starting our lives together, building our future. Damn, it felt good . “I can do this comfortably for us,” I told her. “It’ll be nice to have you all to myself, with all of our little comforts. Plus, now we can host a barbecue.”
Vivi wound her arms around my neck. “I love you, Lennon. I love how kind you are to your family, to your friends, to me.”
“Now that we’re buying a house—our first house together—let’s celebrate with a win tonight.”
She kissed me deeply, leaving us both out of breath. “For luck,” she murmured.
We won that game and the next three, which propelled us into the second round of the playoffs. We won those games, too, increasing our winning streak and forcing the sports pundits to find loads of superlatives when it came to discussing the Wildcatter organization.
We were able to expedite the closing, and Vivi and I moved into our place during the break after our fourth win, since we had to wait for the other two teams to duke it out in their series.
“It’s going all seven games,” Maxim told me when he and Ida Jane stopped by with a housewarming gift. Naomi and Adam followed them in, and ten minutes later, Hana, Naese, Stol, Millie, Cormac, and Keelie were all in our grand room, enjoying a drink and some healthy snacks while I fired up the grill.
“Good thing I went to the store while you were at Mom’s,” I told Vivi. My mother hadn’t wanted to move in with us, but Mia, my sister, was more than happy to take over Vivian’s bedroom. She was saving for her own house, and Mom’s place cut her commute in half. Plus, Mia understood that Mom might be on the road to recovery now, but she was aging. Mia hadn’t focused much on family for the past ten years, and I could tell she was trying to make up for lost time.
“I’m glad Mia’s there, no matter the reason,” Vivi said. “Your mom came through her therapy really well, but you never know when a body will react.”
“I think you should think about sticking with private nursing,” I said.
She raised an eyebrow. “Why’s that?”
“Well, you seem more relaxed, happier than you were when talking about your work schedule back when I met you, and because I like knowing I get to see you when I’m home.”
She smiled and kissed me. “All good reasons. We’ll see. Much as I love nursing, I may need to find something else to fulfill me.”
“Whatever you want, Vivi.”
She bit her lip. “Well…”
I waited.
“I was wondering about helping out with the foundation, now that that’s moving forward. Being a kind of liaison between service members and their VA doctors or whatever? Someone who could help with their prescriptions and develop tailored nutrition, exercise, and medical plans.”
My chest warmed. “That’s a fantastic idea, and exactly what Camden and I want to do for these guys.”
She blew out a breath as she blinked at me. “Really?”
“Yeah, it sounds amazing, Vivi.”
She bounced into my arms. I twirled her around, and everyone hooted for us to kiss. I was happy to oblige.
“Man, oh, man,” Naese said, rubbing his hands together fifteen days later. “Game five—we can win the Cup tonight, my fellas!”
“Don’t jinx it,” Stolly said.
I smirked. I wouldn’t have taken Stol as the superstitious one of the group—not while we had a crazy Russian on the team. But the younger man been so serious, so determined to ensure every little detail of his game plan, that I realized it wasn’t superstition, it was anxiety.
I leaned over the bench and patted him on the back. “Just keep doing what you do, and we got this.”
He groaned. “You shouldn’t say that. Don’t say that. I’ll fuck something up.”
“Mistakes happens. Just pay attention. Be alert to opportunities,” I said.
“And don’t fuck up,” Maxim added with that terrifying Russian glare.
“That’s enough,” Cormac said mildly. “But seriously, Stol, don’t fuck up.”
Stol dropped his head between his knees and groaned.
We all laughed. It felt good, and most of the tension seeped from the locker room. Many of us had been here before. We understood the pressure. We knew we had to clear our minds and focus.
We would because we all wanted this series locked down and the Stanley Cup in our possession. We headed for the ice, and the first period was a masterclass of precision and execution. We owned every minute of every play, and I could practically feel Coach Whittaker’s pride in our performance.
I glanced over at Vivi as I came off the ice early in the third period. She was watching me, so I winked at her. She smiled back and blew me a kiss.
I settled on the bench for a breather and water break. When Coach called my line up, Maxim and I were over in a blink, more than ready to slam into bodies and fight for the puck. We might be dominating the ice, but we needed a score to put us on the board—to clinch the win.
It came in a blink, one I almost missed. I was farther up than I normally played because my player had fallen back to accept the puck from his goalie. He bobbled the pass, and it slid toward me. I pushed forward and slapped the puck back at the goalie, who had just settled into his defensive stance and wasn’t ready for a shot to the top right of the goal.
It sailed in. The blue light spun, and our hometown crowd went wild.
My back was turned to Medvedev, and my arms were over my head—how many times had I made a goal? Not that many, and this was the first time I’d made the game-winning shot in the winning game for the Stanley Cup. So it was a moment to celebrate.
Then Medvedev barreled into my back, his stick high against my ribs.
Coming to in an utterly silent arena that had been filled with cheering moments before proved scarier than the hit itself. Way scarier. “Am I dead?” I asked. “Broken? What did I break? Can I walk?”
Dr. Hutchins skimmed his hands over my legs, then my neck, though I got the sense he’d already checked that. “Move your fingers,” he said. “Good. Toes. Excellent. Legs. Arms.” He heaved a huge sigh. “No signs of spinal injury, but we’ll strap you just in case.”
“Medvedev is toast, Cruiser,” Cormac said. “I’m going to make it my personal goal to ensure that piece of shit doesn’t get any play time. If you hadn’t had your arms up already, you would have landed on your fucking nose.”
I’d never seen him so angry.
“And probably lost all of his teeth,” Maxim growled. He glared at Medvedev, who was getting reamed by his captain. The guy shot me a malevolent look that earned him a finger wag and an even louder chastisement.
“I’m okay,” I groaned. I felt like I’d been hit by a freight train plus a bulldozer. “Maybe not okay. But I didn’t bust my head.”
“We’ll let Dr. Hutchins decide that,” Coach Whittaker said. He squatted next to me. “You with me, Lennon?”
“Yeah. I’m here.”
“Can you tell me what day it is?”
“Game Five of the Championships.”
“And where are we?”
“Wildcatters Arena, which is quiet because they all think I’m halfway to dead.” The joke landed flat, but then again, so was I.
“Let me out there. Let me out there,” Vivian screamed.
I turned my head and winced. “Vivi.” She had to be terrified. The last time she’d seen me like this, I’d been the dumbest of dumbasses and pushed her out of my life. My heart hurt as I realized how scared she must be. “Vivi, I’m okay.” My voice was too quiet. I couldn’t catch my breath.
I tried to sit up. Everything hurt. It hurt bad. I couldn’t take a full breath.
“Tell her it’s not my head.” I gritted my teeth. “But I think I punctured my lung.”